The top reported proficiency rate is 50% in Science. The lowest is 18% in Social studies.
Original Research by School Decision on James Whitcomb Riley Elem Sch
James Whitcomb Riley Elementary School serves kindergarten through fifth grade in Vincennes, Indiana, as part of the Vincennes Community School Corporation. This is a regular public school, not a charter or magnet. The enrollment is modest for an elementary school. The student body is predominantly white, with a much smaller share of Black, Hispanic, Asian, and multiracial students, reflecting the demographics of the surrounding area. A substantial share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, indicating that many families in the attendance zone are working with tighter household budgets.
The school is located in Vincennes, a small historic city on the Wabash River that serves as the Knox County seat. Vincennes blends residential neighborhoods, commercial corridors, and industrial activity, and is home to Vincennes University, the oldest college of higher learning in Indiana. The city has auto-oriented highways in US 41 and US 50 and a traditional grid pattern in its core Old Town district, which contains buildings with French architectural influences. The local economy spans agriculture, healthcare, technology, industry, and tourism, with the university as a major employer and institutional anchor. Housing values in the area are below the state benchmark, which is itself below the national benchmark, making this a more affordable market for families buying a home.
On state assessments, Riley Elementary’s results present a picture in which some subjects are stronger than others. On the ILEARN tests for grades three through eight, the school’s proficiency rate in math was below the midpoint compared to other schools in Knox County. In English language arts, the proficiency rate was at a similar level, also below the midpoint. Science performance, while based on a smaller test-taker group, was higher, with about half of students meeting proficiency. Social studies, tested at the fifth-grade level, showed a lower proficiency rate. A parent looking at these numbers may want to ask the school how it supports students in the core areas of math and reading, where the scores suggest room for growth, and how it builds on the relative strength in science.
Riley Elementary serves only elementary grades, so there is no graduation rate to report, and the school does not have data on chronic absenteeism or disciplinary rates. The district has made recent infrastructure changes that affect the school environment. It established its own police force in partnership with the Vincennes Police Department, creating a dedicated school safety department. It also partnered with the YMCA to offer early childcare for three- and four-year-olds through the Little Alice Learning Center, expanding pre-K access in the community. These are structural changes, not one-time programs, and they signal the district’s priorities around security and early childhood access.
Overall, Riley Elementary sits in a community with a lower cost of housing, a small-school setting, and a student population where economic need is common. The academic picture is mixed, with stronger science results and weaker math and English language arts proficiency relative to other schools in the county. For a family, the fit depends on how the school’s current achievement levels and support systems match their child’s needs, and whether the small, historically rooted community of Vincennes is the right setting. The district’s recent investments in safety and pre-K may also be relevant factors in that decision.
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